Description
Everything about the Roadtec Z8 Interact has been designed to put the rider in control. It responds like an extension of the rider’s instincts, creating an invigorating blend of precise riding feel and effortless handling.
Roadtec Z8 Interact? is capable of making the ride easier in all conditions, no matter what bike: it allows the rider to enjoy the distance, safely.
- New generation of profile matched with new patented tread design provides easy handling and reduced push steering for maximum confidence in all maneuvers
- New modern look: ? design allows optimisation of the elastic properties of the structure to obtain the best contact between tyre and road in any condition
- 3 zone tension (Interact? Technology) gives mileage on straight and grip in lean
- New high silica compound with nano – particles increases performance and safety in all weather conditions
designed to make riding easier, regardless of the motorcycle – for a long and safe experience. The new tyre contour together with the patented profile design improves handling and reduces steering effort significantly – for maximum confidence in all riding conditions. The profile shape, inspired by the Greek letter “Pi”, maximizes the flexibility of the profile, thus ensuring an optimum tyre footprint under in all conditions. The 3-zone-tension Interact ™ Technology gives outstanding mileage and sporty cornering grip. A new High Silica compound with Nano particles ensures performance and safety in all weather conditions. The award winning Roadtec Z8 is the best wet performance tyre in the Sport Touring segment, after becoming the MCN Tyre of the Year 2012.
Metzeler Roadtec Interact Z8: first MCN test
Name: Metzeler Roadtec Interact Z8
Designed for: Sports tourers and naked bikes
What’s its USP? Interact technology allows for high grip with impressive wear levels while providing a cushioned ride and increased wet weather performance.
Riding impression: A sports touring tyre is usually confined to use on bikes with panniers fitted as standard, but according to Metzeler this is no longer the case.
The firm has identified a growing number of more performance-oriented riders on nakeds and even sports bikes turning to this class of tyre due to their increased wear rates and ability to cope with all weather conditions.
So they have created the new Interact Z8 to appeal directly to this market and replace the old Z6 Interact.
With a deliberately aggressively styled tread pattern (rider’s choice of tyre is often dictated by tread aesthetics) the Z8 has the company’s Interact technology to give it a soft carcass construction at the tyre’s shoulders for improved handing while the central area is stiffer for increased life and improved bump absorption.
Riding Yamaha’s new FZ8 Fazer the lightweight bike felt perfectly suited to the Z8.
The tyres’ more rounded profile gave a very smooth and reassured progression from upright to leaned over and seemed to match the relaxed nature of the bike perfectly, providing more than enough grip for the Yamaha’s limited ground clearance to be exploited to the full.
Moving up a class to Honda’s CB1000R the Z8’s progressive feel was once again apparent.
Being a sportier naked the Honda turns into corners with more enthusiasm than the Yamaha but while the Metzeler has the feeling of calming this down slightly, it didn’t detract from the bike’s sporting potential and I found the neutral roll-in very comforting with a high level of feedback.
Once again the grip levels exceeded the bike’s ground clearance and coming on and off the power mid-corner didn’t seem to disturb the tyres’ mid-corner stability or make the bike sit up, something Metzeler claim to have worked hard on building into the tyre.
Testing the Z8 on the heavier tourers such as BMW’s R1200RT and Honda’s VFR1200 the tyre retained its neutral handling and while I couldn’t say I’m 100% convinced the tyres aided the bike’s suspension, the motorway part of the ride on all the bikes I tested was very smooth and stable.
During the day Metzeler gave us a Bandit 1250 with a brand new Z8 front tyre and a rear that had done 7,500 miles and had just 2mm of tread depth left on it.
This combination of a square rear and new front should have made the bike handle like a pig, but instead, although the steering was marginally more sluggish going from upright to the first part of corner entry, it was nothing like I’m used to experiencing on worn rears and I’d have happily ridden on it until the final 1mm of legal tread was used up.
Squeezing this kind of mileage while still retaining 90% the handling performance from a tyre up until the end of its life is very impressive.
Verdict: bested by ONLY one other ……watch this MCN review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzcgeHLZMvw&feature=youtu.be
-450x450.jpg)
